Announcing its business strategy going forward, Rank Group confirmed that it intends to develop its digital offerings under O’Reilly in order to attract younger customers and make up for the declining popularity of bingo halls in the UK.

Having previously overseen the growth of digital services at Ladbrokes and the re-launch of the Coral brand online O’Reilly is well suited for the Rank Groups ambitions.

Discussing his new role, John O'Reilly said: "I am excited to be joining Rank, a company synonymous with the UK gaming industry. Rank has very strong brands which resonate with customers and a growing digital offering and I look forward to building on this strong platform and taking Rank onto its next stage of development."

The news comes after the previous Rank Group CEO, Henry Birch, resigned from the role on the 7 March in order to become the Group Chief Executive at Shop Direct.  At the same time the announcement also included details of the promotion of Alan Morgan from Managing Director of Grosvenor’s and Mecca’s retail businesses to a full member of the board.

Commenting on the new appointments Ian Burke, Chairman of Rank, added: "John brings a wealth of gambling industry experience, particularly in digital, and I am delighted that he is joining the board of Rank as its Chief Executive. His impressive reputation and track record for delivering growth mean he is well-equipped to drive our performance going forward.

"I am also delighted that Alan is joining the board as Executive Director. With his in-depth understanding of our business, I am confident he will contribute significantly to the future development of Rank."